Six of the Most Memorable Road Trips in the UK Sometimes it just makes sense to fill up the car, pack a few bags and head out to the country. The good news is that, if you’re looking for a great road trip, the UK has some of the best scenery, gently winding roads and invigorating fresh air in the world. Now the team at OSV have created a useful infographic highlighting 6 of the best road trips … [Read more...]
Motoring for FUN!
It’s all about having fun out on the road
As many of us already appreciate, ‘essential’ motoring in the 21st Century – when we really do need a car to get somewhere (such as when commuting and/or for business purposes and carrying items too bulky or heavy for public transport) is not always fun. Often it involves frustrations such as queueing in traffic jams, also keeping out of the way of, and/or ignoring rude and aggressive drivers, and generally making slow, painful progress on packed urban roads. In truth the word ‘enjoyment’ doesn’t usually apply to such driving; it’s more of a necessity.
Nevertheless, these days, and in fact just as it always has done, the motor car can still give individuals, couples, families and groups of friends a happy means of ‘escaping’ for a while from humdrum everyday life. Indeed it can represent a passport to pastures new, for a breath of fresh air and a little rest, relaxation and exploration.
Some ‘Wheels-Alive’ viewers/readers may have discovered, or may even recall, that many motoring magazines of the past regularly used to feature touring with cars, covering visits to different localities in Britain, and even trips abroad. These fascinating articles provided information about the ‘feel’ of places visited, as well as illustrating, by way of photographs and/or line drawings, the new horizons which the car could open up.
Of course, in the 1920s and 30s (and even during the 1950s), owning a car was a relatively new phenomenon, and the thirst for ‘adventure’ in motoring for pleasure was evident in the way that the features were written.
I was very keen for my ‘Wheels-Alive’ online motoring magazine to re-create some of the atmosphere and magic of these day trips and longer tours of the past, so stay with us (and check back often!) as we bring to you motoring-related visits to some amazing places, starting with a few in the U.K.
In our new ‘Motoring For Fun’ series, always written from a personal perspective, we shall be using a variety of vehicles, from new models to more elderly classic cars. In each case, if you are a motoring enthusiast, the ‘getting there’ really is almost as important as the destination itself…
We hope that our series of features – which we hope will serve as ‘appetisers’, but of course cannot hope to include ALL the attractions within a particular area – acts as encouragement for our viewers/readers to visit and explore further for themselves. We have chosen a wide variety of areas, each with its own unique character and history. Please just enjoy!
The Ultimate UK Holiday Road Trip? Take a Tour…
Suggestions for a trip around Britain in under a month... If you’re looking to explore everything the UK has to offer, vehicle leasing company OSV have now produced a new infographic for the ultimate holiday road trip. From the heights of Snowdonia to the City of London, the joys of the Lake District and the world famous Loch Ness, there’s plenty of fun and … [Read more...]
Motoring for Fun – ‘Wirral Going on a Summer Holiday’ (and to the Austin Counties Car Club Rally) – in a 1954 Austin A40 Somerset, says Kim
Wirral Going on a Summer Holiday – in a 1954 Austin A40 (Somerset) Coupé… Kim Henson explains... I have to admit that until 2014 I had never before visited the Wirral peninsula, nor indeed Liverpool, but twice in that year I made brief visits to that part of the world, and was keen to return to explore in more detail. For those who may not know, the Wirral peninsula sits between (to the west) … [Read more...]
Motoring For Fun – A Wonderful Road Trip in North Borneo (Sabah)
Kim Henson describes an unforgettable automotive adventure a long way from home… Of all the places in the world, I never imagined that I would be visiting North Borneo (Sabah). From 1946 known as ‘British North Borneo Crown’ (until as recently as 1963), today the state of Sabah is part of Malaysia. However, until a few years ago I must admit that all I knew of the country was what I had gleaned … [Read more...]
Motoring For Fun – On the Road Enjoying the Fall (Autumn) in New England, by Rachel Henson
Touring (Autumnal) Vermont in a Chevrolet Cruze LT… Rachel Henson reports ‘live’ from the U.S.A. during an adventure that has seen her driving in north America for the first time. A visit to the United States of America had been looming on the horizon for months, so the actual departure almost took me by surprise when it eventually came. The plan was to visit Vermont in New England, from late … [Read more...]
Happy Days in South Africa with an Austin 11-55
Glen Smale recalls his Austin 11-55 in South Africa… Glen operates Virtual Motorpix and his recollections about his own 11-55 first appeared on own his website blog: http://blog.virtualmotorpix.com (Kim says: “Just to set the scene, it may be helpful to explain a little about the Austin 11-55. This was a South African version of BMC’s 1100 (ADO 16) that was introduced in the UK in 1962, and in … [Read more...]
Motoring For Fun – California Dreaming?
Glen Smale combines the lure of the open road, the enduring magic of Le Mans and a very busy week. From Wales to Le Mans by California… If you have never yet been to see the Le Mans 24-Hour race, but have wondered what it's all about, Glen Smale tells his story about having fun attending and yet also working hard at the 2016 event; the words and photos are all his... Once a year, around … [Read more...]
Motoring For Fun – ‘On Top of the World’ in a Maestro
A HAPPY TOUR OF NORTHERN ENGLAND IN A ROVER MAESTRO... Kim Henson was in the driving seat… As with previous articles in this series (so far, covering separate trips to south Devon, north/mid Wales, and the Isle of Wight), this one (Number 4) is all about having fun on a motor tour in a fascinating part of the world. What inspired me to start and build this series were the similarly-themed … [Read more...]
Devon Delights in a Suzuki SX4 S-Cross 1.6 DDiS SZ4
Kim Henson waxes lyrical about a long weekend touring in south Devon. You may already have seen and read the Wheels-Alive Road Test elsewhere on our website, covering the Suzuki SX4 S-Cross 1.6 DDiS SZ4. We rated the model as an attractive, practical and fuel-efficient ‘crossover’ (for more information on the vehicle itself, please have a look at our separate Road Test, by clicking HERE). … [Read more...]
Isle Of Wight excursion in an Austin A60 Cambridge
Kim Henson continues our series which looks at the enjoyment that touring by cars, new or old, can still bring, this time covering a happy trip to the Isle of Wight in a classic ‘family’ Austin… BY CAMBRIDGE TO THE ISLE OF WIGHT The vehicle used for this trip means a great deal to me. It was purchased by my grandfather in June 1973 and has been in\my family ever since. During that time I’ve … [Read more...]
A Welsh Tour in a Suzuki Swift 1.3 DDiS
Kim Henson describes an enjoyable break in north/mid Wales. WALES, HERE WE COME You may already have seen and read the Wheels-Alive Road Test elsewhere on our website, covering the Suzuki Swift 1.3 DDiS, which we rated as an excellent, fun to drive and creditably economical state-of-the-art supermini (for more information on the vehicle itself, please have a look at our Road Test, by clicking … [Read more...]